Teach Me How to See

Chapter Seven: City of Thieves

WildOrion: I'm telling myself to stop saying my chapters are bad, cuz now that I think about it, that's being unfair to the part of my brain that continues to dish these chapters out. Thanks for reading my fanfic still! Oh, by the way, I took my placement testing for college today. I gotta thank fanfiction for keeping my writing and reading comprehension skills fresh. Math on the other hand…

Reiya Rosso: Aw, you're making me blush! Thanks for giving a stamp of approval for my writing skills! Some of the future scenes I have in mind for this story are hopefully going to be even cooler than the pact scene (At least they look and sound cooler in my head. The tough part is getting them typed correctly)! Now I definitely wanna get to those scenes! Hurray for positive motivation! I really miss playing my battle mage but alas, school demands my attention. Maybe in the summer I'll play again. Who knows? I might randomly whisper you like a stalker if you still play, lol.

Lanne's picture is up! I'm debating whether or not to upload what she looked like before the change but that'll be a lower priority. Hopefully, Shax will work too cuz I finished him up (His pic is coming up later on though). I'm having trouble writing Mir's pronoun. After writing this chapter I notice that I switch between calling Mir "It" and "he"… Opps. I think I'll stick with calling Mir "he" since I love the dragon that gets badass down the line. But there still might be references of me calling him "it" every now and then in this chapter. I'll make sure it's correct in later chapters.

Transition chapter—START!

She twirled the golden pocket watch in front of her and furrowed her brows in slight frustration. "So…this is I get for slicing my hand and hair?" Evan raised a skeptic brow and threw an orange at her before taking a bite of his apple. "Hey!"

"You just risked your life yesterday and all you're concerned about is a haircut?" He asked and rolled his eyes with his usual grin. "Girls…"

Lanne frowned and began peeling the fruit that was aimed at her head. "I'm trying to stay positive, which is quite hard when I'm used to doing the opposite you know." She pocketed the watch and popped a slice of the orange in her mouth, savoring the sweet and sour juice. "I can't even get Shax into weapon form…" Unfortunately, making the pact was much more complicated than Lanne expected. When demons made pacts with Battle Mages they would transform into an object depending on how the soul of the contractor reacts with the contracted. That object is then used as a conductor and can transform into a weapon based on a combination of the spiritual and mental resonance between the two. [1] But so far, the gold watch did nothing but sit idly in her hands.

She had to admit though. She definitely felt certain changes in her body. The wound on her hand was healing slightly faster than normal. Lanne even noticed that her eyesight got a lot better in the dark. Shax's voice spoke to her in her head every now and then giving her advice, and she was satisfied with the new occupant more than the old one (who strangely enough hadn't said a thing since).

"Well, that's what training is for, right?" Evan clapped his hands and threw the apple core at Mir, who ate it in one bite before continuing his nap in the sun. The mage shifted so that he sat cross-legged on the grass with his wand on his lap. Lanne finished her snack and did the same, except the golden pocket watch was held securely in her folded hands.

"Okay, I'm ready."

Evan smiled encouragingly at her determination. "Now, let's go over what we've learned. Close your eyes and center yourself." The darkness blanketed her vision and she let out a comfortable breath. "Try to form a bubble in your consciousness. This is going to act as a temporary container for your mana reservoir. Later you'll be able to draw upon it unconsciously, but for now you just need to know how and where to find your power well."

Lanne had no time to comment on the fact that his way of speaking was so serious and uncharacteristic of him now. Instead, she pressed her lips together in a thin line. She looked into herself and dove into the dark confines of her soul that still had hints of recovering. Lanne noticed a few things since training with Evan—like how everyone's soul has a different color and characteristic. Evan's was green and almost resembled a dragon, unsurprisingly enough. When she told him that he simply laughed and told her to find out her own shape before looking at others. He had a point though. Throughout the entire training session, she had been able to sense other people's souls except hers. It was there, but she couldn't focus in on it. This time, she was determined to do so.

As she delved deeper into her heart of hearts, she saw one soul shape that felt far different than hers. It was half black and half white. When she saw bi-colored feathers floating inside the translucent egg-like sphere, she immediately knew that it was Shax.

"You're going at this too hard," A voice echoed from the egg, which she recognized belonged to the demon stork. "Instead of trying to find it by yourself, make it appear. It is your soul after all."

"I am trying…" she mumbled and tightened her hold on the golden pocket watch in concentration. Sweat began to form on her brow as she felt pressure build up and spread from her head down to her toes. Lanne exhaled and willed the pressure to collect in her hands.

"Whoa, Lanne! Look!"

Evan's voice made her return to the real world. She immediately noticed a glow in her clasped hands. When she opened them, the watch was emitting a soft purple light.

"Congratulations," Shax praised in her head and she allowed herself a crack of a smile. The light died down and she dropped the watch in exhaustion. Evan reached to grab her shoulder so that she wouldn't fall, but she shook her head.

"I'm fine… Thank you, Evan." Lanne offered him a tiny smile, at which he slightly blushed at and scratched the back of his head while looking away.

"Uh, no problem. So, you ready to go to Kerning City or do you want to train a little more?"

Lanne shook her head. "We've wasted enough time here. The sooner we get the cryptex or whatever, the sooner we get the books."

He furrowed his brows in seriousness once more. "It won't be as easy to tap into your soul outside Ellinia Forest. You probably felt it, but the entire air around Ellinia is filled with energy. There's no guarantee you'll be able to tap into your mana at a moments notice." Lanne wondered in the back of her mind if something was putting him on edge recently but didn't have the reasons to ask. So instead, she reached into her boot and pulled out a small dagger she kept on her, courtesy of Claudine's habits rubbing off on her. A small part of her felt a painful twinge of loneliness, but she pushed the emotion far away once more. Evan shrugged in defeat and pulled out a scroll. "Whatever you say. Do you know how to use these?" When she shook her head, a mischievous smile touched his lips. "All you gotta do is…"

Five minutes later, the Dragon Master was cowering and holding his hands in front of him in a protective manner while Lanne walked towards him with a dangerous glint in her green eyes.

"Evan, I'm going to murder you…" the redhead hissed as she glowered at him, evoking a high pitched 'eep' from the mage.

"Haha, n-now now, Lanne… Calm down!" Evan backed up into one of the brick walls of Kerning nervously. "I-It happens to everyone!"

A black banana peel slid off from her head, causing her to twitch. Evan had told her to jump in the portal because she could get caught in a rift if she entered too slowly. So, as a person trying to trust, she did as told. Unfortunately, the momentum propelled her forward…into a hill of garbage…

Evan noticed the chain connecting her pocket watch to her belt was glowing and he swallowed hard. "Uh, h-hey… It's not like anyone was around to see it, right? Just me, y'know?" Her fingers twitched and he could see them reaching for the watch in her pouch. "Mir!"

The dragon leaped forward and roared in her face, expecting her to fall back in fear and shock like all others before her. However she simply held her ground and stared down the large onyx dragon with a stern look. Lanne raised a finger to its snout. "Down." The dragon snarled but her green eyes narrowed dangerously at the creature. "Now." At last, the creature backed away and whined in defeat. No one had stood up to him in the past, but the red head effortlessly wounded his pride and ego. As for the Battle Mage, she had years of caring for large felines in packs. One young dragon was nothing for her. When she turned back to Evan, the mage was already a few feet away with a trail of dust behind him. Lanne crossed her arms and raised a brow questioningly at the dragon that was left behind by his master. "Want to do the honors?" Normally the dragon would avoid helping the suspicious human if he could help it but considering his masters last action… Lanne gestured him to go first, which he did gladly. The rest of the walk into the city of Kerning was filled with Evan's terrified (Albiet exaggerated) screams from Mir's practice with his dragon's breath.

"Get your steelies here! Place your offers!"

"Scrolls for claws! Get them while they're hot!"

"Hey! You said these were only a million, jackass!"

Lanne frowned, obviously uncomfortable with the city of thieves already. Sure, she was pleased with the twilight sky above them and the lack of overly bright colors found in Henesy, but the overall atmosphere put her on edge. Her usual distraction (A.k.a. Mir) wasn't around for her to watch since the dragon would likely cause a commotion. Evan noticed her tense posture and took hold of her wrist, causing her to momentarily stare at him in confusion. He grinned in response and lifted their connected limbs up slightly. "Just so we don't get lost." She nodded slowly, somewhat grateful for this new distraction and allowed him to guide her through the busy crowds of merchants and wanderers. Numerous whistles and calls were made out as soon as Evan grabbed her wrist such as "Get a room!" and "Let me in on that!" Lanne noticed the immediate reddening of her companion's cheeks as the voices continued. His grip on her wrist tightened over time as well.

"Evan? Are you okay?"

He cursed under his breath but she sensed it was more out of embarrassment than anger. "Yeah… I forgot how this city gets when they see this kind of thing."

"'This kind of thing'?" she repeated and tilted her head. Evan stopped to turn to her and allowed his jaw to fall ever so slightly at the reply. Lanne furrowed her brows in growing frustration. When she asks something, he shouldn't gape. There was no reason to wound her ego every time she asked a simple question… "What?"

"Lanne, you don't know what this looks like?" he lifted their joined limbs again and she huffed.

"You're just making sure we don't get separated. What I don't get is why you and the city think it's such a big deal…"

Evan took a deep breath in and stared at her with serious eyes once more. "Lanne…you…" She raised a brow. "You…never had a boyfriend, huh?"

Smack

"Ouch! It was an honest question!" He held his swollen cheek as he watched her almost stomp away in anger. When she didn't stop he paled, remembering grimly that she knew nothing about wandering this dark city of thieves alone. As he got ready to sprint in her direction, the crowds of sellers and would-be buyers suddenly doubled. "Damn! Lanne, you better be safe til I find you."

"Of all the things to say… How dare he?" Lanne grumbled as she continued to walk absently around the city to cool her head. Her anger caused her to forgo the fact that she was alone in an unfamiliar place, but soon the high disappeared and she began to regret her loss of control. The streets and roads melded together, making it hard for her to distinguish and backtrack her steps.

"Hey, who's this cutie?" asked a deep voice. She quickly turned to see a party of thieves and warriors. The one that just spoke was tall and muscled; wielding a large sword that looked like it had just recently been used. "Haven't seen you around here." Lanne's eyes narrowed in a guarded manner. She was used to dealing with situations like this, although they were more hostile than what he was aiming for…

"I'm running an errand, so…" she used an old tactic to get away and usually an ineffective one, but it bought time to analyze her environment. The alley was far narrower than the ones in her hometown. Added to that, the party spread out to block her escape. Lanne cursed, once again hating the fact that she allowed her emotions to take over her reasoning. Two female thieves poked their heads through the rest of the men and pursed their lips.

"Looks like she doesn't know that this is our turf."

"Should we teach her a lesson then?"

The Battle Mage's body froze as memories resurfaced from her childhood—memories she fought to forget and did. So why now of all times…? In the back of her mind, she heard a familiar chuckle that belonged to the other entity that occupied her soul alongside Shax.

"Her parents died during the war? Are you sure they weren't just executed for being spies?"

"Don't get close to her, children… She's a bad influence and the less of her is better for us."

"You don't belong here, girlie. Pack up and go home! …Oh wait, what home? Hahahaha!"

Lanne took a step back, her green eyes wide with fear. Not from her situation, but from the memories she tried so hard to lock away. She heard Shax shouting something inaudible in her head and soon after, her chest ached in pain. Lanne's hand clawed the cloth on her vest as if it could sooth the pain and stepped back, tripping on an old pipe in the process.

"Aw look, she's scared… Is the poor baby gonna cry?"

"Hey…she looks kinda hot. Boss, do ya think…?"

"Why not? Hold her down boys!"

"Urgh, you men make me sick," one of the females sneered but laughter was in her throat. Lanne snapped out of it and ran the other direction. She had to get out of there. Surely there had to be some way out—

"Shit…" she was met with a brick wall and no way out. There weren't any pipes to climb and the walls here were too far apart to use to climb to the roof. Lanne turned and the party following her was coming into view.

"Ah man…"

The mage looked up and saw a dark figure staring down at her from the rooftop. He stared at her with dark eyes that were shaded from his messy black hair and Dark Identity bandana. His clothing was jet black and already she could bet a million mesos that he was a thief. If the shining dagger in his hand wasn't proof enough, it could have been the way he carried himself—disconnected and calculating. Problem was…would he help her?

"There she is!" Lanne turned again and already she was pinned harshly against the brick wall. Her head hit the rough surface and she cried out slightly when a hand held her throat. She glared at the man holding her captive with defiant green eyes but was replied with a sick laugh. "You have fire in your eyes. I like that! You better be worth the trouble of chasing you!" His other hand trailed down her hip in a way that he must have thought pleasurable, but it only brought on a fit of rage. Her pocket watch glowed slightly in her pocket.

"Oi, Bennet, right?"

The mercenary pinning her turned irritably, "Who's asking?" but froze when he saw his entire party was unconscious on the floor. "What?" Lanne saw the thief there; silver eyes narrowed and glinted dangerously, just like the dark dagger in his hands. "G-Got a name, punk?"

The noir-haired stranger smirked smugly and put a hand on his hip. "Yeah. Just not one you need to remember," The thief let two steelies fly towards Lanne's attacker. One of them hit his shoulder dead on while his large sword parried the other. 'Bennet' as Lanne deducted, growled and released her before running off in raging defeat. She heard him say faint words like "I'll be back, bastard!" but the rest were drowned out echoing. The redhead regarded her savior cautiously and made a slow gesture towards her watch in her pocket, but he sheathed his blade behind his back and sighed exasperatedly. "Saving a girl who's being taken advantage of by a man…" The thief stretched and fixed the Dark Identity on his head. "That must have been the most stereotypical event in my life."

Lanne fought to control her urge to smack him—once more shocked at her lack of control of her emotions. Every since beginning this journey, her life was topsy-turvy and she couldn't see an end in sight. Stubbornly, she looked him in the eyes with what she hoped was a determined gaze. "I could have handled it myself."

He raised his brow and crossed his arms challengingly. "Oh? With what? The dagger in your boot?" Her eyes widened in shock and in a silent question. "Please. What do you take me for—a mage? I know the tricks of the trade, missy." The thief took a step forward and she felt like she was getting backed into the wall again. "Now what I wanna know is why you're in a dump like Kerning City. You don't look like any traveler I've seen—not branding a weapon or the ilk." Lanne's eyes narrowed and her lips thinned. The stranger backed off and huffed. Obviously he wouldn't be getting any answers from her without a fight. "Tch… Fine. Well, c'ya around!" The thief turned towards the exit of the alley.

Lanne hesitated before calling out. "What's your name?" The thief didn't turn and instead raised his hand in a dismissive wave before disappearing behind the corner. Not a minute later, Evan appeared in a panting mess. The Battle Mage raised a brow and crossed her arms. "What?" The dragon master glared tiredly at her and opened his mouth to say something, but instead he collapsed against the brick wall. "Evan?"

"Lanne… I'm keeping you on a leash from now on."

Smack

"Ouch! Will you stop doing that?"

The Dark Lord massaged his temple and groaned. More and more of his reconnaissance teams were disappearing by the day. The ones that did return came back with nothing short of near fatal wounds and no information to show for them. The burning embarrassment of having nothing to report at the Master's Meetings was nothing compared to the anger towards those that dared to harm his subordinates. Subordinates that he hand picked and raised since they were mere children.

"My lord?" one of his followers materialized in front of him and bowed on one knee. "I bring news of travelers outside our normal roster. One is the Dragon Master Evan Rockwell."

"And the others?"

"Sir…I'm afraid we're not entirely sure who she is or where she hails from." The thief lowered his head in shame. "However, she's relatively easy to pick out. Her hair is red."

The Dark Lord scoffed. "I'm sure at least a third of the populace on Victoria Island has red hair."

"No, I mean red. Crimson red."

The thief job master's brows rose in skepticism, but he asked no other questions. "Find out what they want. The Black Wings have members that are well skilled in the art of deception. See to it that the boy is who he says he is. And as for the girl, I want to know her name, job, where they're staying, and every little detail in between. Do you understand?" The thief nodded and disappeared, leaving the job master to his racing thoughts. Red hair—it was a hint Grendel had told him after the last meeting.

Red. The color of fate. If she was who he thought she was, would she lead them to a happy ending? Or were those crimson locks a foreboding premonition of what was to come?

[1] Yes, I realize that the science I use behind explaining how Battle Mages work is similar to how weapons and meisters work in Soul Eater. But I couldn't help it.

Sorry that this is a couple hundred words shorter chapter than usual. But hey, it's only that much, right? No biggie. This chapter mainly served to switch setting and introduce a few changes happening to Lanne after making the pact with Shax. So far, it seems a little harmless—a mood swing here and there…but who knows those mood swings will entail?

Trivial Trivia:

As much as I wish I could take credit, the line "Saving a girl…stereotypical event in my life." is actually from Ano Hana. Yukiatsu made me wanna give him a pat on the back for that line! I really recommend watching that anime!

Deleted/Alternate Scene:

"There she is!" Lanne turned again and already she was pinned harshly against the brick wall. Her head hit the rough surface and she cried out slightly when a hand held her throat. The man leaned in closer with a sick smile and with the full intent to quiet her mouth that would likely scream. However, his face suddenly scrunched up in disgust and he released his tight grip on her. "Damn! Ever learn about a bath, girl?"

Her eye twitched violently and she reached for her pocketwatch.

...

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Somewhere in an alley nearby, Evan sneezed.

I have no idea what came over me while writing that deleted scene...

As usual, please review!